


Three Mothers

by MikeForza



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:27:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24492763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikeForza/pseuds/MikeForza
Summary: Mother's Day is a special time for many people. It's the one day a year dedicated to celebrating that special person in your life, your mother. However, things can get a little complicated for anyone in a non-conventional family. In a single day, Steven Universe has to balance between everyone that holds that role in his life.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Three Mothers

Being consistent can be more trouble than it’s worth. Normally Sundays are the perfect opportunity to sleep in, but it seems it wasn’t meant to be. Ever since recommitting himself to a proper sleep schedule, Steven Universe found more often than not his body would just decide it was time to get up. With some reluctance, he slid out of bed, pushing this minor irritation out of his mind; after all, it would be a shame if such a small thing ruined his day. Especially since it was Mother’s Day.

Every year, Steven spent Mother’s Day hanging out with the Gems. He appreciated the opportunity to bond with them, especially now that he could do a bit more than make macaroni cards and misshaped mugs. As he began his morning routine, Steven thought back to those first years. Naturally, it took a while for the three of them to understand the concept, but they embraced it after he moved in with them. Especially Pearl, who still kept every gift, however impractical, sorted neatly along with all her other things.

Heading downstairs to rustle up a breakfast sandwich, Steven reflected on the day’s plans. While he had an idea of what he wanted to do with each of them, he hadn’t overly planned things out. Some fun on the beach with Garnet, grabbing lunch with Amethyst, then maybe a nice walk with Pearl. That could change, there’s nothing wrong with being flexible. Above all, Steven was determined to have this be a good day. Things had only recently returned to normal after the unpleasantness earlier that year. Construction on Little Homeworld is virtually complete, the last few effects from the injector’s poison have been dealt with, and fixing up Beach City went faster than expected. Everything was as it should be.

Yet, at the same time there was an unease Steven couldn’t put his finger on; or maybe he could. He looked up at the portrait of his biological mother, Rose Quartz. Steven had expected it to become easier as the years went by for her not to cloud his thoughts on Mother’s Day, but especially this year the opposite was true. He looked at her closed eyes, as he had many times before. When he was younger, Steven sometimes wondered if her eyes would ever open. Then she would see him, face him. But they never did, and they never would.

Steven broke his gaze and went to work on finishing his food. Today was not for her, and there was no benefit in getting lost in thoughts of what could have been. As if right on cue, Garnet exited her room as Steven swallowed the last bite.

Garnet looked over at him as she walked into the kitchen. “Well, you look like you’re ready to go.”

“Just finishing up here.” Steven put his dirty dish in the sink. “Then we’re gonna have fun in the sun! Happy Mother’s Day,” Steven said as they hugged.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll just get Cat Steven some food, then I’ll be out.”

Steven headed out. Looking out onto the ocean, at was a beautiful day. With only a few clouds, and a nice breeze, the weather was right for both beach games and swimming. Thinking he should go back inside to grab his swimming trunks, he made it back to the stairs before Garnet came out, already holding them.

“I saved you the trouble. Catch.” Steven looked up as she tossed them, effortlessly catching them out of the air.

He grinned. “I still have to go inside to change.”

“You’d thank me if you knew how long it would have taken you to find them,” Garnet replied, returning his grin.

As Steven approached the door, he humored her. “Let me guess, five minutes?”

“Fourteen. You left them under the towel hanging in the bathroom.”

“Ouch. Well, thanks,” Steven chuckled as he went to change. As he stepped back outside, he found Garnet looking out at the ocean. She turned to face him as he walked over.

“Time for the fun to begin.” Garnet looked at Steven expectantly. “Lead the way.”

Steven paused for a moment. “Well, what do you want to do? You should have just as much input as I do.”

“Oh, alright.” She paused for a moment before continuing, “First some volleyball, then we get in the water.”

Starting with volleyball means by the time they would be finished, the ocean would be a reprieve from the heat. “Alright, but you better get ready to get creamed.”

\-----

After a few hours it was finally time to finish up. It was nearly lunchtime, which fit in perfectly with the next phase of Steven’s day. He called up Amethyst.

“Yo, this is Amethyst. I can’t pick up the phone right now so just, like, leave a message.”

“Hey, it’s Steven. Call me back when yo-“ He was cut off by laughter.

“Ha, I got you good that time.”

“Yeah,” Steven chuckled, “Hey, where are you right now?”

“Oh, I’m over by uh, the arcade.”

“That’s great. I was thinking of meeting you there in a bit, then maybe getting some pizza?”

“Always looking forward to it. I’ll be here.”

With the plan set, Steven changed and showered before heading over to the boardwalk. Inside the arcade, he saw Amethyst playing Road Killer II. Amethyst, upon seeing Steven, abandoned the game; ignoring it as threw increasingly creative insults at the non-existent player.

“How’re you doing Steve-o?”

“Great. Happy Mother’s Day,” Steven exclaimed as he went for a hug.

“Awww, that’s so sweet. Thanks, but…” Amethyst took a step back and began wagging her finger. “As your mother I insist you go and clean your room right this moment mister.” Steven and Amethyst shared a good laugh. Steven looked at his watch.

“Looks like we have some time to kill, anything you were interested in playing… competitively?”

Amethyst grinned, “Oh man, I’ve become an air hockey QUEEN.”

“No way you could beat me.”

“Ok, how about this? Winner gets to pick the toppings.”

“Now you’ve got me fired up!”

Twenty minutes later Steven conceded defeat, losing a best of five round. Amethyst, almost magnanimous in victory, decided to go easy on Steven; only getting a couple exotic toppings. Compared to the worst-case scenario, it was positively edible.

By the time they were finished eating and chatting, the afternoon had begun in earnest. Not wanting things to get too late, Steven left Amethyst on the boardwalk and went back to the Beach House. Knowing Pearl, Steven changed into something a bit less casual before heading towards their meeting spot, Dewey Park.

Pearl was sitting on a bench watching humans the same way, Steven imagined, that people might watch a flock of birds. Her attention was grabbed, however, by the sight of Steven heading towards her.

“Hi Steven.” She got up to hug him as he approached. “Happy Mother’s Day!”

“I’m the one who’s supposed to say that to you,” Steven said, trying unsuccessfully to hold back a laugh. The two of them sat on the bench.

“I’m just excited to spend time with you.”

“We see each other every day.”

“Well yes, but this is different. Everyone’s been so busy that it’s a nice change to slow down a bit, don’t you think?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Steven said before looking around. “What do you feel like doing?”

“Let’s just walk around, see what happens,” Pearl said, standing up seemingly filled with purpose.

Steven smiled, happy to let Pearl lead the way on their odyssey through the park. They didn’t particularly get the chance to talk too much; Pearl spent most of her time talking to other people about anything she could: their clothes, what they were doing, really anything that came to mind. Steven noticed she was forming a habit out of giving people things. Thankfully everyone was either polite, or too confused to say much of anything.

Despite everything, Steven had a good time. After all, bonding with something can happen through any shared experience. As the sun began to set, both of them knew it was time to wind down. As they started walking back to the house, Steven had an idea.

“Pearl, there’s something I want to do. I’ll be a few minutes, so go on without me.”

“Okay. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry.”

About 20 minutes later Steven finished his errand, and by the time he had arrived back home, all three of the Gems were waiting for him on the beach. Not wanting to see what he had gotten just yet, he hid it behind his back.

“Hey guys, what’s up?”

Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl looked at each other before Garnet took the lead. “We thought we’d get you something, from all of us. Happy Mother’s Day Steven.”

It was a card, written by Pearl and signed by the three of them and Ruby and Sapphire. Genuinely touched, he handed the card back.

“Thanks guys. I got something for you too,” Steven said, pulling out a bouquet of flowers. All three thanked him profusely as they all began heading towards the house.

The day was nearly done; the sun was just beginning to set. But the unease of before returned unexpectedly. Not wanting the others to think anything was wrong, Steven busied himself with putting the flowers in a vase. Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl sat in the living room chatting among themselves. A few minutes later, he made up his mind.

As casually as he could, he said “I know it’s getting late, but I wanted to warp over to Little Homeschool, to see how it’s doing.” He tried to gauge their reactions without seeming too obvious.

“Just be sure to not get back too late,” Pearl said, “You wouldn’t want to miss dinner.”

Steven smiled, secretly hoping it didn’t look forced. “Yeah, I’ll be back before you know it. See ya.” Amethyst waved as Steven stepped onto the warp pad. The familiar sound and light whooshed him away.

As he landed, his smile faded. It didn’t feel right, lying to them; especially today. It looked like the sun had nearly set, casting the sky in violet and crimson. Steven took little notice of it as he looked around, his eyes passing over the warp pad to what was beyond. It was just as he had remembered it. The star shaped opening at the top of the steps, and beyond that was her fountain, her statue, her. Steven’s legs betrayed his apprehension. This didn’t come naturally to him. But however much he wanted to, he couldn’t go back. With a sense of determination, he entered his mother’s sanctum.

He pulled a rose from his pocket; he had bought it from the flower shop without knowing if he’d be able come here. He looked up at the statue. It was crying, as it had been every day since he had first been there years ago. “Hi Mom,” Steven said. “It’s me, Steven.” He turned away. Of course, it wasn’t really her; there was no need for him to speak at it.

“Today is Mother’s Day. It’s a day when sons show their moms how much they appreciate them. I’m not sure if I should be explaining it. I … Sometimes I wonder, do you have any of my memories? When I talk, do you hear my voice?” Steven paused, before shaking his head. “Of course not. It was a silly question.” He looked around, as if she was everywhere around him. 

“Sometimes I wish we really could talk. I guess this is the next best thing. I’m sorry I haven’t visited often, but I’ve been really busy. I’m starting a school soon. I want to help gems from all across the galaxy find their way.” Steven looked back at Rose’s statue. “I think you would have liked it. It might…” Steven tried to hold back his tears. “It might have helped,” he said as he placed the rose on the side of the fountain. With a sigh, Steven turned to leave. As he approached the steps, he stopped. Without thinking, he turned back.

“I met a friend of yours recently. She was someone you used to know. Her name is Spinel.” Steven paused. Some of the emotion he had been holding back began to break through. “A real blast from the past, isn’t it? I wonder, would that name even mean anything to you, if you heard it now?” Steven found himself clenching his fists. “You were dishonest to so many people. In the end, nobody really knew who you were.” Steven grabbed his shirt. “I won’t make that mistake. I’m going to leave here, and go back to being the person I always have been, Steven Universe.” With that, he had said all he could. Feeling deflated, he took one last look at the fountain before he left. The statue of Rose Quartz, strong as the day it was made, seemed to look back; crying as it watched her son leave, with nothing to remember him by except a solitary rose.

Steven’s eyes softened. He whispered, sure that his words would reach her however they can, “I will be back, one day. Happy Mother’s Day. I love you.”


End file.
